Does America have a culture?

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I'd say the US definitely has its own culture, though definitely one that's somewhat strange when you compare it to other world cultures. The best way I can sum it up is that it's all about fast food, guns, NFL football, Hollywood, and an extreme sense of patriotism. I mean, there's more to it than that, a LOT more, but that's basically the gist of it. People often bash the US, and while they can be a bit crass and excessive at times, I actually appreciate many of the things they have contributed to the world. After all, they are Canada's biggest ally. If it weren't for their support, where the hell would we be?

Yes, I think America has a culture. I also think that American culture varies from state to state, some more distinct than others. I live in New York City, and I think we have our own culture here. Not too many gun toters or flag wavers here. I hardly ever see a McDonalds. My kids ate there twice (not here). There are hardly any drive thru anythings here. It is possible to avoid any knowledge of football entirely here too.

And, yes, I do know more than 1% of the culture of my ancestors. My grandparents were immigrants.

LOL...I live in New York City, Queens Village to be exact.

There's a drive-thru McDonald's about a five-minute walk from my house.

A drive-thru Wendy's about a three-minute walk.

A Pizza Hut, a 7-11, a Subway, and a Dunkin Donuts all less than a three-minute walk away.

You'd be shocked at the contrast between one side of Hillside Avenue and the other side!

You probably live in some place like Cobble Hill or Park Slope (which would be really cool!--they have nice duplexes and triplexes there!)

If you go into Flatbush or around Kings Plaza, it's fast food city!

New York, especially Manhattan (and, increasingly, adjacent parts of Brooklyn and Queens), is a cultural mecca.

There is, definitely, a New York culture, which is distinguishable from that of the rest of the US.

Outer Queens, though, is more akin to the rest of the country.

What part of Queens?

I'm thinking, for some reason, that your parents grew up in a similar area as mine (mine was Rego Park).

Woodside and Belle Harbor are so different!

Woodside is in "urban Queens." It's only about a half-hour commute door to door from anywhere in Woodside to Manhattan. It's ethnically diverse.

To me, what distinguishes urban Queens from Outer Queens is whether there is "alternate side of the street parking."

Belle Harbor is a 1 1/2-2 hour commute door to door to Manhattan. It's not ethnically diverse. It's a nice area with nice houses. It's pretty isolated from the rest of NYC.

Another thing which distinguishes American culture from many other world cultures is just how varied it is from region to region. In Georgia, people seemed really warm and friendly, but when I was in the O'Hare airport in Chicago, the atmosphere of the place was really depressing, and the people seemed rude and cold.

The USA is a lot larger than those countries you compared it to. In japan, there was a time when everyone dressed a certain way, whereas in the USA, even during the "cowboy era" you would probably find people in the east not wearing cowboy hats. Culturally, it seems more like a collection of smaller, localized cultures.

Well, in the last few hours I've listened to some Coltrane and read some Mark Twain. Pretty sure both were invented here …

The essence of American culture is individualism. That means that we don't feel obliged to limit ourselves to the dress, food, music, and folkways of our ancestors, but freely select, adapt, and combine whatever we like from everything the world has to offer. The other day I fixed myself spaghetti with kochujang and chorizo, and enjoyed it with a nice Mencía. In a sense that was even more American than a cheeseburger and fries.

[MOVED from GAD to Random]